Ospreys coach Mark Jones praised his much-changed side after a handful of youngsters stepped up in the Challenge Cup victory away to Black Lion. Tasked with travelling to Georgia just weeks after two matches in South Africa, Jones rotated his squad, with Gwilym Evans, Lewis Lloyd and Lewis Edwards all impressing in the starting side during the 39-14 victory.
Ospreys Coach Delighted with Youngsters
"I was really impressed with the performance in general," said Jones. "We've had a tough travel schedule to the start of the season, which has forced us to rotate. We've got some big derbies when we go back. But most importantly, we've got to build some development into our group."
"We've got to give these guys an opportunity to play at this level. It was great to see these guys. Gwilym Evans had man of the match and rightly so. Great to see him make that next step at this next level, same with Ben Roberts, Kian Hire and Lewis Edwards. We've got development in our head as well as performance."
"But we felt the team we picked today was good enough to win the game while helping those boys on their journey. I'm pleased how it all came together. We were a bit disappointed that a few tries were chalked off. We're probably kicking ourselves that we didn't execute more in the second-half. I thought the forwards coaches did a great job preparing for a very physical pack, helping to provide some great ball for the backs."
England's World Cup Hopes Hang by a Thread
England's Rugby League World Cup hopes are hanging by a thread after a crushing 30-12 defeat by Tonga in their opening match of the competition in Perth. Brian McDermott's men were undone by the brilliance of Dolphins half-back Isaiya Katoa, who masterminded his side's stunning win and contributed a crucial 14 points with the boot.
It means England realistically now need Tonga to beat Samoa in a fortnight's time to stand the slimmest chance of progressing to the semi-final stage. England failed to capitalise on some serious first-half momentum, and the Tongans exposed their weaknesses after the break to gain emphatic revenge for their trio of test defeats in the UK in 2023.
England's flat pack were comprehensively out-muscled, and full-back AJ Brimson – preferred to St Helens number one Jack Welsby – was turned inside out by Katoa, who will team up with England captain George Williams at his NRL club next season. For McDermott it was a massive wake-up call, and he must now rebuild his shattered side for upcoming group games against Papua New Guinea and France, both of which are already in danger of being rendered irrelevant in the complicated cross-group system.
England piled on the pressure for much of a high-octane first half but they failed to find a way through an heroic Tongan rearguard, and it was the South Sea islanders who reached the interval 10-0 in front. Kai Pearce Paul was denied an early opener by a superb saving tackle from Latu Fainu, and Brimson was hauled back by Lehi Hopoate, and Tonga suffered a major blow when playmaker Fainu was forced off injured.
But after soaking up half an hour of pressure, Tonga pounced when Katoa's inch-perfect offload sent Stefano Utoikamanu galloping over for their opener. Tonga would stretch their lead into double figures through two kicks from Katoa, but McDermott's men looked to have forced their way right back into the contest when Hugo Savala sent Brimson over within six minutes of the restart.
Savala's subsequent kick took England within four, and they looked to have all the momentum until a needless penalty sent Tonga back up the other end of the field, and they seized on a slice of fortune when Katoa's kick ricocheted through and Haumole Olakau'atu touched down. It got much worse for England as a clever kick through by former Huddersfield man Tui Lolohea sent Tolutau Koula over for his side's third. Katoa's sixth successful kick stretched Tonga's lead to 18 as the game edged beyond the hour mark.
Dom Young gave England hope when he raced over on 63 minutes, but it was to prove a fleeting moment of hope as another Katoa kick sent Olakau'atu over for his second, and Tonga cruised through the final minutes to wrap up a richly deserved win.
Wales Crushed on World Cup Debut
Wales' Women's Rugby League World Cup debut ended in a crushing defeat to England in Perth, losing 70-6. With the team playing just their 14th international match following their formation in 2021, they surprised England by levelling the scores early in the first-half through Paige Travis's score.
However, that was ultimately as good as it got, with England running in 13 tries on the day. Given Wales had conceded just shy of 300 points in their previous five Tests against England, the result wasn't a surprise – although coach Tom Brindle will have taken a number of positives out of the performance in their World Cup bow.
